Job Discussion Forums

[edbuch]

How important is it to be able to speak Chinese when you start work? I am coming over in a few weeks. I thought by now I would be getting the hang of it and I used the Michel Thomas C.D.s and a basic one. But I now realise that I will be hardly able to speak it at all. I was trying to get a local Chinese speaker to help me but that did not happen and time is getting on. I told myself that I would pick it up more quickly when I am over there but now starting to panic a bit. I want to speak Chinese and I am willing to learn, just not been able to spend as much time on it as I would have liked. So, any advice?

[Gamecock]

Don't worry. It's not important at the beginning of your job, nor will your employer/students expect you to know any Chinese. Heck, a good portion of foreign teachers NEVER learn hardly any of the language and are here for years.

But do invest some time in language learning when you arrive. It will definitely enrich your life here.

[Zero]

For the job you don't need any Chinese at all, ever. Speaking any Chinese in the workplce is professionally bad for you. They want a big, white, goofy, clueless laowai, not a fluent Chinese speaker.

For everyday life, out and about, Chinese is immensely useful. My best advice is to get a fellow foreigner who is decent in Chinese to teach you. You'll learn quickly that way. I would study with pinyin and put off characters for another day, if ever. I would focus on tones. Don't let anyone tell you that you cn get by without them. Trust me, you need them.

[johntpartee]

It don't matter! It also don't matter if you can't speak English very good.

[A'Moo]

[Trifaro]

You might want to look into buying the Pimsleur cds.

Most of the very basic Chinese that I speak I learned via Pimsleur and I didn't really devote myself to studying. If I had, I'm sure Pimsleur would have helped me more. At this time, I can generally get by, but can not hold a regular conversation in Chinese.

Good Luck

[ooragnakkangaroo]

[johntpartee]

No matter how professional you are, most Chinese will subscribe to Zero's description.

[randyj]

Although an English teacher should not use Chinese language in the classroom, some knowledge of Chinese will prove useful to recognize "interference" issues, like he/she or borrow/lend, etc.

[dean_a_jones]

It must vary, and is not so black or white as "you never should". Where I work, we have some teachers who can speak a bit, others that cannot at all, and one guy who is completely fluent. For those who can speak, even just a bit, it helps in dealing with the class advisors, as some confusion can occur due to the fact that they make occasional errors in English. Of course, you shouldn't really be using it in the classroom, but outside it helps in the day-to-day administration.

We might be an exception, but I would not say that everywhere has this "never speak Chinese" policy. As others say, most Chinese will not expect you to be able to do more than speak a few basic phrases. If you can pick it up, it will really help in your life outside of the school, especially if you are in a lower tier city or the countryside.

I use ChinesePod, which is easy to download and works quite well. Have also used Rosetta Stone, which is also good.

[doogs09]

Inside the classroom you shouldn't really speak Chinese at all, unless it's to explain difficult concepts, and then you really need to be pretty fluent. Of course this will depend on what type of classes you're teaching, kindergarten kids won't speak too much, if any, Mandarin themselves, especially in the provinces where mandarin isn't the first language. University students, who will often come from all over China, might appreciate a bit of help in Mandarin from time to time.

Outside of school, the more you can speak, and even better, read, the easier and happier your life will be. The most successful teacher I ever met spoke fluent Cantonese, having lived in HK before arriving on the mainland. He had better Guanxi than the guy who owned the school and was often invited to dinner with the mayor of the town and various other party guys. Of course he knew he was being paraded as a trophy, but also the teachers and kids at his school loved him, and was guaranteed a VIP table at no cost whenever we went into a club.

As to the dancing monkey thing, it saddens me that people still play up to that stereotype, but I suspect they are either too lazy or scared to challenge it. The people that bleat and whine about how their treated by their Chinese counterparts, in my experience, are the ones least interested in making any effort to fit in while they are here. The ones who just want to make as much money to take home, while expending the least effort possible.

[Guerciotti]

[Zero]

[Trifaro]

"...think you are a big foreign cartoon of some sort. ..."

Isn't that the truth. I was recently told, after I pointed out a Breach of Contract, that I was "unsuitable" for teaching in China and should resign. I did threaten more than a month ago to resign if the contract terms weren't adhered to and went over the Dicks head to the President of the degree granting institution. The money was paid the next day.

A couple of weeks ago, when the students and most faculty left the campus they started shutting the electricity off, most likely to save money. I complained and then was told I was "unsuitable and that I complain too much".

The electricity is now on in the building where I am now with perhaps 3 or 4 other apartments still occupied. It is off in every other building on campus. The streetlights are still on though.

Funny, because a month before I was told that I was "voted" 1 of the 10 best "teachers" in the Foreign Languag Department by the students. Beyond that, I was "suitable" for them to come into my class and take pictures which will probably be used to lure stunard students.

I guess I am just a photogenic dancing clown = pay me.

[Kysorb]